Motor fuel



Patented Dec. 31, 1929 THOIAS H. STACKHOUSE, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE IoDrawing.

PATENT OFFICE moron rum.

The object of my invention is to provide a motor fuel having anti-knockqualities.

" More specifically. stated, the object of the invention is to utilizegasoline. as the main constituent of the motor fuel and add thereto amaterial which, without perceptibly impairing any known quality ofgasoline that contributes to its efliciency as a motor fuel, will impartto itvthe anti-knock qualities desired. To produce a commerciallypractic'able result, several requirements must be met. The materialadded must be in a very soluble in the gasoline, at all ordinarytemsmall proportion, inasmuch as a reduction of the amount of gasolinein a gallon of the composite fuel will to that extent rob the gasolineofthose desirable qualitieswhich it is desired to preserve. The, addedmaterial must be so relatively inexpensive that it will not add morethan a small fraction of one cent to the cost of the gasoline, in orderthat'the. composite fuel may be retailed at the same priceas ordinarygasoline, or at least so that an increase of less than one cent pergallon in the wholesale price will yield a substantially larger profitto the refiner. The added material should be readily and permanentlyperatures, without the necessity of special agitation or of any otherspecial mixing process that would erceptib y add to the costofproduction o commercial gasoline.

The above results are accomplished by the addition to gasoline of fromone-fourth of one percent to two per cent of carbon bisulfidewith thepreferential addition of nitrobenzene in an amount not over three percent of the carbon bisulfide. The nitrobenzene is preferably added tothe carbon bisulfide before the latter is added to the gasoline. Thenitrobenzene may be omitted altogether, but its addition, besidesassisting in the attainment'of the result sought and securin the resultsought with more certainty, re uces the amount of carbon bisulfiderequired by an amount exceeding the amount of carbon bisulfide that itdisplaces. 1

Gasoline itself is so variable with respect to thedegree to which it aproaches the desideratum of avoiding knoc ing in ans-ordinary internalcombustion engine, that it is Application filed November 25, 1925.seriaino. 71,436.

than will the combustion of gasoline that is manufactured from higherboiling point constituents'of crude oil bycracking. Then, too, gasolineproduced from crude petroleums of different origins will havesubstantially different qualities. With the average gasoline, theaddition of' from one-half to one'per cent ofcarbon bisulfide willproduce an antiknock motorfuel'.

The addition of one-half .of one per cent of pure or refined carbonbisulfide to gasoline will not increase the cost of the fuel over thatof simple. gasoline by more than about onetenth of one cent per gallon.

The carbon bisulfide should be approximately pure, that is approximately99.9% pure, and should bealinost or quite without free sulfur, althougha somewhat lower degree of purity, whileundesirable, is efficient.

It is preferred to add the carbon bisulfide, or the solution of carbonbisulfide and nitrobenzine, to alittle gasoline before the addition tothe body of gasoline which it is desired to convert into an anti-knockmotor fuel; This is especially desirable where the material is to besold in the open market for addition to ordinary commercial gasoline.The

proportion of the, gasoline-carbon bisulfide solution that is added tothe commercial gasoline will of course vary with the proportion ofgasoline in the solution to be added, 4

The main reason for the effectiveness of my improved motor fuel 'is thatthe combustion, instead of being nearly instantaneous, is progressive,that is, combustion continues substantiallythroughout the stroke of thepiston and is completed near or at the end of its stroke. The result issubstantially higher effi- 'ciency and greater power with elimination ofknocking. Another important advantage that is attained by progressivecombustion 1s the substantial prevention of formation of carbonorthesubstantial elimination of any carbon that may be formed anddeposited.

It is clear, from the foregoing explanation, that any negligibleincreasein the cost of the improved fuel over that of. straight gasolineis compensated, many times over, by the saving in cost due to increasedefiiciency and power. While I have specified gasoline as the mainingredient of my improved motor fuel, it will be understood thatgasoline is a somewhat flexible term which, in the progress of the art,has come to be applied to what, in earlier years, was known commerciallyas high-grade kerosene. Therefore. it is to be understood that byspecifying gasoline I- mean to include as an equivalent any grade ofkerosene that, now or in the future development of the art. may besubstituted for gasoline as a motor fuel.

hile I have specified upper and lower limits, workable andpreferential,- for the I proportion of carbon bisulfide. that proportioncould be increased somewhat above the oneor two per cent specified,without detriment, but without advantage. I, therefore, do not wish tolimit myself to the maximum roportion of carbon bisulfide specified.lowever. if the proportion of carbon'bisulfide should be increased tobeyond (say? five. or. at the most, ten per cent, its use would probablybe detrimental, not merely in that it would reduce the efiiciency of thegasoline by reducing the proportion of gasoline, but also in that 1twould be apt to produce deleterious effects on the metal with which'thefuel comes into contact. 7

In place of nitrobenzene I may use such equivalent substances asnitrotoluol and ni-ttroxyol and perhaps other nitrocarbons. Thepercentage may be increased beyond three per cent of the carbonbisulfide without detriment but without advantage.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

1. An anti-knock motorv fuel comprising a solution of gasoline, carbonbisulfide and 'nitrobenzene, the gasoline comprising a predominatingproportion of the composition and the proportion of carbon bisulfidegreatly exceeding the proportion of nitrobenzene.

2. An anti-knock motor fuel comprising a solution of gasoline, carbonbisulfide and nitrobenzene, the carbon bisulfide comprising between overone-fourth of one per cent and less than live per cent of the solutionand the proportion of nitrobenzene being very much less than that of thecarbon bisulfide.

In testimony of which invention, I have" hereunto set my hand atPhiladelphia, Penna, on this 5th day of November, 1925.;

THOMAS H. STACKHOUSE.

